What do you think?
Rate this book
Hope of Israel
A revised version of the November 2010 publication. In 1656, a small community of Spanish Catholic merchants lived in London bound by a sacred they were Portuguese Jews. This is the story of one of them, Domingo de Lacerda, who learns early on that survival in seventeenth-century Europe requires both deceit and conformity. But then he meets Lucy, who has secrets of her own and who challenges Domingo to question everything he has been taught to value. The political and spiritual conflicts that characterized the Iberian Inquisition, the English Civil War, and the English Interregnum provide a backdrop against which Domingo must choose between his obligation to the Jewish community that protects him and the Catholic woman who loves him.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2010
12 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Patricia O'Sullivan
11 books22 followersPatricia O'Sullivan is the author of three historical novels about the Sephardic Jewish experience in the New World: Hope of Israel, Legend of the Dead, and A Notable Occupation. In 2014, she published her first new adult novel, Awesome Justice. She lives in Mississippi with her family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 7, 2011
The heart of this novel is a tender romance between a young Jew and a young Catholic who are united at first by the common experience of holding to faiths that must be practiced in secret in seventeenth-century England. What will keep this story burning in my memory, however, is the meticulously researched history of Jews' plight in Europe and the questions the narrative raises about the nature of faith and the sacrifices we make in its name. This is a poignant story with compelling characters, many of whom truly lived.
Full Disclosure: I had the good fortune of meeting the author at the Historical Novel Society Conference in June and she was kind enough to give me this copy of her book to review.
Full Disclosure: I had the good fortune of meeting the author at the Historical Novel Society Conference in June and she was kind enough to give me this copy of her book to review.
July 14, 2012
... part way along ...
I am thoroughly enjoying the tentative reaching out between two young people, each with so much to share but even more to hide. It's really quite charming.
I am thoroughly enjoying the tentative reaching out between two young people, each with so much to share but even more to hide. It's really quite charming.
February 9, 2012
The plight of the persecuted is the focus of Patricia O’Sullivan’s novel, Hope of Israel. Rooted in historical fact, the novel examines the lives of people forced to subvert their true natures and live behind masks of conformity. Along the journey, two unlikely protagonists, Domingo and Lucy discover a powerful bond, often threatened by misunderstandings, bigotry and religious hatred.
In 17th century Portugal, religious wrath destroys Domingo Lacerda’s boyhood innocence. He witnesses the execution of his brother Felipe, convicted of accusations against a Catholic priest. When Domingo returns to his home in Alfama, perched on a Lisbon’s hilltop, he learns of his parents’ intentions to flee the country for Brazil. At the same time in London, little Lucy Dunnington wonders at her mother’s behavior toward the doctor who has come to attend a delivery. Lucy also ponders how her family remains secret Catholic in Cromwell’s era.
Domingo’s family travels to Amsterdam, where the young man learns of his true heritage, while immersing himself among a new community. Later, he serves as an apprentice in London, and meets Lucy and her family. Grief and secrets culminate over several years, fostering a tenuous union. The couple takes grave risks to be together, before Domingo’s impetuousness and indecision interrupts their relationship.
It seems too late for the lovers, as Lucy marries the cold, businesslike Edward Polestead and looks toward a future with him. Domingo faces several harsh choices, which force him to acknowledge his past. In doing so, has he ruined all hope of a life with Lucy?
I enjoyed the visceral emotion this novel evoked; pity arising from the brutal death of Domingo’s brother, and fear and worry about the remaining family facing the threat of discovery and religious persecution in Lisbon and England. Domingo’s emotionally fragile state and his bewildered attempts to adjust to drastic change also won my sympathy. Lucy emerges as the strongest of the pair; she never truly loses her convictions about her faith or her attachment to Domingo. Both find admirable qualities in each other, which bolster them through the most painful of trials.
While Lucy’s husband Edward remains aware of his wife’s devotion to Domingo, he uncharacteristically does not address it until a moment of crisis. Even for a man who could be as callous and detached as to abandon his family, his lack of confrontation with his wife seemed implausible. Also, there were a few instance of quick POV shifts within scenes that distracted me. None of these concerns seriously detracted from a richly detailed story of life and love enduring against impossible odds.
In 17th century Portugal, religious wrath destroys Domingo Lacerda’s boyhood innocence. He witnesses the execution of his brother Felipe, convicted of accusations against a Catholic priest. When Domingo returns to his home in Alfama, perched on a Lisbon’s hilltop, he learns of his parents’ intentions to flee the country for Brazil. At the same time in London, little Lucy Dunnington wonders at her mother’s behavior toward the doctor who has come to attend a delivery. Lucy also ponders how her family remains secret Catholic in Cromwell’s era.
Domingo’s family travels to Amsterdam, where the young man learns of his true heritage, while immersing himself among a new community. Later, he serves as an apprentice in London, and meets Lucy and her family. Grief and secrets culminate over several years, fostering a tenuous union. The couple takes grave risks to be together, before Domingo’s impetuousness and indecision interrupts their relationship.
It seems too late for the lovers, as Lucy marries the cold, businesslike Edward Polestead and looks toward a future with him. Domingo faces several harsh choices, which force him to acknowledge his past. In doing so, has he ruined all hope of a life with Lucy?
I enjoyed the visceral emotion this novel evoked; pity arising from the brutal death of Domingo’s brother, and fear and worry about the remaining family facing the threat of discovery and religious persecution in Lisbon and England. Domingo’s emotionally fragile state and his bewildered attempts to adjust to drastic change also won my sympathy. Lucy emerges as the strongest of the pair; she never truly loses her convictions about her faith or her attachment to Domingo. Both find admirable qualities in each other, which bolster them through the most painful of trials.
While Lucy’s husband Edward remains aware of his wife’s devotion to Domingo, he uncharacteristically does not address it until a moment of crisis. Even for a man who could be as callous and detached as to abandon his family, his lack of confrontation with his wife seemed implausible. Also, there were a few instance of quick POV shifts within scenes that distracted me. None of these concerns seriously detracted from a richly detailed story of life and love enduring against impossible odds.
May 5, 2012
Fabulous book. My husband and I read it all aloud and we LOVED it. We were captivated by the strength of the love of the main character, Domingo for his non-Jewish love, Lucy and the conflict created by generations of being a converso. Although his Jewishness survived, it gave great insight to the complexity that we never realized even with our knowledge of Crypto-Jews. Yet his loyalty and integrity for the Haham, his Yeshiva teacher in Amsterdam and those who he worked for in England was moving. His devotion to his children whether they were legitimate or not, Jewish or not, born to his beloved, paralleled his own persecution. His willingness to support his Catholic wife who had suffered persecution at the hand of the Anglican Christians was a revelation and her willingness to raise his children as Jews matched his own devotion. It was fascinating to discover that the Irish were enslaved in Barbados, and possibly elsewhere throughout the Caribbean. Learning of this phenomenon lends a greater understanding to the animosity towards the Irish as the immigrated to America over the centuries. This knowledge contributes another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of the unique relationship between Irish Catholics and the Jews who immigrated to the U.S.
Personally as a Jew, in the past, I would have wanted Domingo to marry someone Jewish, but considering the path of their respective lives and their ability to respect each others strongly held beliefs, traditions and values, their sensitivity to the impact of their remaining in England, the choices were wise, sensitive and insightful. It gave us a unique understandgin into the religious tolerance of Providence, RI and the importance of persecuted people to find a new beginning.
The quality of writing was exceptional in how it engaged our imaginations, our intellect and most of all, our hearts.
Personally as a Jew, in the past, I would have wanted Domingo to marry someone Jewish, but considering the path of their respective lives and their ability to respect each others strongly held beliefs, traditions and values, their sensitivity to the impact of their remaining in England, the choices were wise, sensitive and insightful. It gave us a unique understandgin into the religious tolerance of Providence, RI and the importance of persecuted people to find a new beginning.
The quality of writing was exceptional in how it engaged our imaginations, our intellect and most of all, our hearts.
January 22, 2012
The readmission of Jews into England is an important yet little-known event in English and Jewish history. Patricia O'Sullivan brings it to the fore with her detailed and accurate account in HOPE OF ISRAEL. It is accomplished so thoroughly that one forgets she is reading a work of historical fiction as opposed to a factual account. The author is clearly an expert in her field and the personal connection is evident. She educates her readers and entertains them at the same time. HOPE is a must-read for anyone interested in the Jewish religion and culture, and no Anglophile's education would be complete without it. I can't wait to hear from her again.
August 20, 2014
The author takes the reader through the Seventeeth Century of the Spanish Inquistion. The extermination of the Jews. We are introduce to a young man Domingo De LaCerda who's family is also hiding in fear of being discovered that they are Jewish. It's a story of faith, family, love and the conflicts that this man must overcome.
December 5, 2012
The author takes the reader through the Seventeeth Century of the Spanish Inquistion. The extermination of the Jews. We are introduce to a young man Domingo De LaCerda who's family is also hiding in fear of being discovered that they are Jewish. It's a story of faith, family, love and the conflicts that this man must overcome.
Love the new book cover!!!
comment · see review
August 7, 2013
A piece of history I needed to learn about....The Portuguese Jews and the expulsion of Jews and Catholics in England.
The book upset me because I could feel the hatred. I would have given it 5 stars otherwise.
The book upset me because I could feel the hatred. I would have given it 5 stars otherwise.
June 15, 2012
This was an enjoyable historical novel about a subject I knew little about.
April 30, 2019
Enjoyed the historical setting and a new perspective
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews